WITH AGENDA FOR COP28 ALREADY CLEAR, THE BATTLE IS FAR FROM OVER

The Conference of Parties (COP) 27, (or the climate change negotiations)in Egypt last fortnight, was grim. The G77 and China, representing 5 billion of the world’s population, fought tooth and nail for a Loss and Damage (L&D) Fund, refusing to come under pressure by the developed world countries. We celebrated the Fund early morning Sunday as a step towards closing the inter-generational injustice gap. The youth celebrated mostly in absentia.

If they put obstacles in the path for the Fund, the developed world cleared their own road for spewing greenhouse gases. Their key strategy was to avoid a treaty that stopped subsidies to and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Science tells these must be phased out, if we are to survive. For this reason, the developed world-historic emitters and gas guzzlers must shift drastically to greener energy, while reducing their own energy footprint.

Not doing this means the developed world will continue harming successive generations, the indigenous and the poor everywhere and people of the Global South. This will cause growing inequity, income gaps and social unrest. Is this acceptable? Even a middle class urban Indian is hit by heat waves, intense rain and floods. The poor are devastated by every drought and cyclone. How much is our collective future in the Global South relevant to the developed world will be indicated by the money that comes into the L&D as well as other funds. But one thing is clear, this battle is far from over. The agenda for COP28 is already clear.

THE HISTORIC EMITTERS MUST SHIFT TO GREENER ENERGY WHILE REDUCING THEIR OWN FOOTPRINT